Kristi Kates | Author

The ’80s/’90s musical icons from Athens, Georgia, will release a big box set this week called R.E.M. at the BBC. Eight CDs and one DVD, the set will include a variety of live sessions that the band recorded for the BBC, plus a short stack of live concerts that the ban...
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Increasing home prices and a limited inventory forcing you to stay put in your current, not-so-beloved home? Either you can learn to live with it, try a little DIY, or — the surest path to love — call in a local design pro to help you reimagine your space (or lack thereof). He...
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Back in the day, catsup — the OG recipes anyway — leaned on such diverse ingredients as egg whites, walnuts, oysters, and mushrooms, but most of those on the shelf today stick to far less imaginative basics: tomatoes, sugar, and corn syrup. &...
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Just in time for Halloween, the aptly-named Vampire Weekend has announced that its upcoming fourth album is done tracking and is now being mastered. Fans who followed the band to this past summer’s Lollapaloozafest in Chicago expected to hear some of the new tunes p...
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Also a half-dozen albums in, New York’s Interpol is back from its trek upstate, where the band worked with Dave Fridmann to develop this collection, highly influenced by the soul-funk side of the musical spectrum, much at the suggestion of Fridmann himself. The swinging beats of the...
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It’s an indie-rock extravaganza — well, the soundtrack is, anyway. We’re talking about Juliet, Naked, the new romantic comedy movie based on the Nick Hornby novel of the same name, out this week. The story is of a writer (Read More >>

“Abandoned” is an apt descriptor for this kinda new collection from The Jayhawks. It consists of the band’s own versions of tunes that were originally written for other artists. Familiar with The Dixie Chicks’ track “Everybody Knows”? That’s a Gar...
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Protest music record label Appleseed Records has put together a huge compilation album celebrating its 21st anniversary, Appleseed’s 21st Anniversary: Roots and Branches. The set will exclusively feature Bruce Springsteen’s version of...
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Whether you’re a bibliophile, a beer enthusiast, or a fan of the humble apple, the Little Traverse region and Charlevoix are the places to be in autumn. Craft a color tour to or from any of these events — M-119 and US-131 are rife with farms, forest, orchards, and outstanding ...
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The view across the lake hadn’t changed much since the old resort closed down. But for Janice and Scott Lampert, it was a constant reminder of possibility. The Lamperts, who revisioned and revitalized a vintage summer retreat into a newly welcoming northern Michigan destination, sai...
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During summer, Mackinac Island receives about 15,000 visitors each day. Come October, the island — whose populations dwindles to roughly 500 permanent residents — comes to a near halt. Horses are ferried to more forgiving climes, the hotels and inns are shuttered, and the usua...
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Teenage Fanclub has announced that its longtime bassist and vocalist Gerard Love will leave this fall, following the band’s Nov. 15 show at London’s Electric Ballroom. The band plans to carry on without Love for the rest of the tour, on w...
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Short tunes, directly to the point, charging in and crashing right back out again. That’s the modus operandi of Traps PS, which purposefully keeps its tracks abbreviated, not wasting a single note or beat that isn’t meant to be there. But these songs, tightly wound and laser-f...
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It doesn’t seem like 10 years since TV on the Radio released its third hit indie rock album, Dear Science, but it has indeed been a decade. (Their latest album was 2014’s Seeds.) To celebrate that fan-beloved release, the band is staging a sp...
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Opening track “Parking Lot Pirouette,” sets the tone here; it’s an affecting number about not being able to leave the one you’re with, and that push-pull of relationships is a continuing theme. On “Eve’s Daughter,” the man in question is a militar...
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Breakthrough artist and BRIT Award-nominated artist Anne-Mariecontinues (pictured) to throw out great pop singles and collaborations, her latest being the track “2002,” which she co-wrote with fellow singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. An acoustic p...
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